Electrical connector for printed circuit boards



March 8, 1960 T 15-.3 ,0 R4 44 FEE-5 10 w. A. GAMMEL, sR 2,928,063

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FOR PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS Filed March 51. 1958 N l/E IV TOR W4 1. 75/? 4. 54mm 5x.

AGENT with wires or circuit elements.

United States Patent ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FOR PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS Walter A. Gammel,Sr., Logansport, Iud., assign'or to Essex Wire Corporation, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Application March 31,1958, Serial No. 724,936 2 Claims. (21. 339-11 Thisinvention relates to-electrical connectors and more particularly to anew and useful socket-type connector for printed circuit boards.

in employingprinted circuits, .it is often necessary to provide means for connecting the printed circuit wiring This is generally accomplished-by arranging the printed circuit terminal strips in spaced apart relation along one edge of the printed circuit board and inserting the board edgewise into a socket type connector consisting of a plurality of terminals carried by an insulating housing and attached to the individual wires or circuit elements.

An object of this invention is to provide a connector of the above mentioned character, which is extremely simple in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, and which can be assembled and applied to the cooperating printed circuit board in a ready and efricient manner.

Another object is to provide a connector for printed circuit boards comprising an insulating body in which a plurality of contact terminals attached to their respective wires are readily insertable into the insulating body during the assembly operation and are efficiently secured in place therein.

A further object is to provide a connector for printed circuit boards having means in addition to the printed circuit terminal engaging means, to hold the connector in engagement with the printed circuit board.

An electrical connector according to this invention embodies two substantially identical insulating body portions formed with contact terminal receiving and retaining portions. Each contact terminal has a contact portion of spring-like construction to efficiently contact a printed wiring element, and a terminal portion for attachment to a wire. Detent means may also be received and retained between the two insulating body portions to cooperate with indentations provided in the printed circuit board for locking the board in place when inserted into the connector.

A better understanding of the invention and its other objects and features may be had from the following description taken in connection with the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a connector in accordance with this invention and a terminal edge of a printed circuit board with certain portions broken away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the connector showing an end thereof adapted to be removably connected to a printed circuit board or other device such as is illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the connector with the lower section of the housing removed and as seen from the bottom of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, a connector is illustrated "ice as comprising a housing of two identical mating sections or halves 10 and -12 which are of insulating material such as a molded thermosetting resin and may be secured together in any suitable manner, such as by rivets 20 which pass through openings 22 at each end of the sections. The mating faces of the sections 10 and 12 are each provided at one end with a recess 24 to re ceive a raised annular boss 26 also formed on the mating faces of sections 10 and 12.

The housing sections 10 and 12 each have an outwardly-open front recess 28 which is provided with a plurality of parallel raised portions 14 defining a series of slots .16 spaced intermediate two end slots 18. The housing sections 10 and 12 are also each formed with a parallel series of outwardly-open grooves 42 each separated from recess 28 by retaining shoulders 44. The slots 18 terminate in outwardly-open cavities 48 which have a T-shaped outline. Raised portions 14 are rounded at 50 (Fig. 5) and the sidewalls of slots 18 are rounded at 52 (Fig. 6).

The housing sections 10 and 12 enclose a plurality of contact terminals 54 formedfrom resilient sheet. material such as. brass. Each contact terminal 54 is fastened in the connector by a U-shaped portion 56 seated upon a shoulder 44 with the cooperating opposed shoulder 44 preventing lateral movement of the contact terminal. The contact terminals 54 are terminated at one end in an arcuate contact portion 58 extending into the recess portion 28 of the connector. At the opposite ends thereof, the contact terminals 54 are formed with tail portions 60 and 62 which are folded, respectively, against conductors 64 and insulating sheath 66 of wire 68.

Also enclosed by the housing sections 10 and 12 are a pair of detent members 70 which may be formed from the same material as contact terminals 54. Each detent member 70 comprises a flat T-shaped portion 72 retained in a cavity 48 and an arcuate-shaped cam portion 74 extending into the recess portion 28. Cam portion 74 is generally similar to contact portion 58 of contact terminal 54 except that it is provided with a cuplike detent element 76 pressed outwardly from one side.

Figure 1 shows the terminal edge 78 of a printed circuit board 80 in position to be inserted into recess portion 28 of the connector. The terminal edge 78 has a substantially rectangular shape and has a plurality of spaced parallel terminal strip portions 82 formed thereon. A shallow recess 84 is formed in the terminal edge 78 at each end at a suitable distance from the terminal strip portions 82. Upon insertion into the connector, the terminal edge 78 of the printed circuit board 88 is guided into position within recess portion 28 by rounded surfaces 50 and 52. The arcuate contact portions 58 engage the terminal strip portions 82 as the terminal edge 78 is forced into recess portion 28 against the resiliency of the contact terminals 54 and the detent members 70. When terminal edge 78 is fully inserted, detent elements 76 engage recesses 84 to firmly retain terminal edge '78 in recess portion 28 of the connector. To insure that the terminal edge 78 will be properly inserted into recess portion 28, one or more notches 86 may be formed in the terminal edge 78 to mate with a cylindrical pin or key 88 located in recess portion 28 by holes 98 provided in the bottoms of a mating pair of slots 16.

There is thus provided a connector for printed circuit boards which is extremely simple in construction and readily adapted to be economically manufactured from a small number of parts which may be inexpensively manufactured.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in its preferred embodiment and has included certain details, it should be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the precise details herein illustrated and S 2,928,063 A i 3 described since the same may be carried out in other ways falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector for aprinted circuit board of the type having spaced terminal strips and a detent recess along an edge thereof comprising: a housing formed of a pair of mating sections having cooperating recesses which form a recess portion for receiving the edge of the printed circuit board; a plurality of contact members each having a retaining portion and an arcuate-shaped contact portion; said mating sections being further provided with retaining grooves communicating with said board receiving recess portion and cooperating with said retaining portions of the contact members to hold said contact members in place; the contact portions extending within said recesses for resilient engagement with the terminal strips of the printed circuit board 'upon insertion thereof in the recess portion of the housing; a detent member comprising a supporting portion and an arcuate-shaped cam portion; the adjacent faces of said sections being so shaped as to engage and hold the supporting portion of said detent member in fixed relation to the housing; and the cam portion of the detent member extending into the recess portion and being provided with a detent element projecting from the apex thereof for engagement with the detent recess of the printed circuit board upon insertion thereof into the recess portion of the housing.

2. An electrical connector according to claim 1 and further characterized by positioning means cooperating with a notch provided in the edge of the printed circuit board, said positioning means comprising: a cylindrical pin positioned in said recesses and adapted to enter the notch in the printed circuit board upon insertion thereof into the recess portion of the housing; and at least one of the adjacent faces of said sections being provided with a hole in which one end of the pin is received.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Camlock: Electronic Design, April 15, 1956,'pa"ges 52, 53. 

